CHENNAI: “It all happened in the blink of an eye, and only those who were seated at the front of the speedboat and jumped into the water after the captain jumped managed to survive,” Nirmal Kumar, one of the survivors of the July 11 Vietnam boat tragedy, said Tuesday as he exited the airport.Still visibly shaken, Nirmal said he had not been able to sleep since the mishap.
‘Availability of medicines on island would’ve saved at least 6 more lives’
A storm hit the boat from one side and the captain immediately jumped off. Something came over me, and I also jumped into the water. A few more followed. Only they survived. Since it was a closed boat, those seated in the rear could not get out. It was all over even as the rescue team reached the spot in 10 minutes,” Nirmal Kumar, one of the survivors of the Vietnam boat tragedy recounted.He said he lost a childhood friend, adding, “I have to go meet his family.” Nirmal’s colleagues and friends, waiting anxiously at the airport, ran forward and hugged him, with some of them breaking down.Nirmal was among a group of dealers of a mobile phone company who had gone to Vietnam on a sponsored trip. He said both Indian and Vietnam governments supported the victims, but there was a lack of immediate medical supplies at the site.Availability of medicines on the island would have saved at least six more lives, he said, adding: “We have explained this to the Vietnam government.”
